The Arts – Art & Design Technology

Art

Our Art Department at Charlotte House is fuelled by the girls’ imaginations. Our main focus is laying the foundation for confident artists by encouraging individual work with creative ideas. Some of our many projects include 3D work such as Phillip Treacy inspired hats, designing Faberge eggs, investigating composition and shapes in a painting and looking at colour theory.

We aim to give the girls confidence to be courageous in their ideas and brave in their approach to putting their ideas on paper. We love mistakes or happy accidents and the art room is a place where the girls can explore and work on their individuality and gain confidence in expressing themselves in a creative environment.

All girls from Form III through to Form VI are taught by Mrs Duncan, a professional illustrator.

Design and Technology

We are surrounded by things which are designed and made and our lives are shaped by technology. In our newly created Art/Design and Technology area the children have a great space to explore the world in which they live. They can look at existing products and find out how they work and develop particular knowledge and skills through focused practical tasks.

We encourage them to be creative and innovative and to become problem solvers as they design and make products for a practical purpose, from the initial design stage to the finished product.

There are many cross-curricular opportunities to apply their skills, particularly in Literacy, Science, Maths, IT and Art. In the Early Years this might mean using construction toys to make a stable wall for Humpty Dumpty through to making a controllable car or a shelter for a refugee in Year 6. We also get to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise. Through these opportunities the girls develop a growing understanding of different materials and components, structures, mechanisms and electrical systems. They also learn the importance of handling tools safely and making quality products.